Slow speeds in peak hours

on ‎11-02-201718:45

Basically, called your guys in november due to speed issues even with a wired connection, got told that they were switching servers. Left it at that, continued with a poor connection (The wifi is terrible but not much you can do about that)

Today my cabled speed tests are anywhere between 29mbps and 60mbps for a package where we should be getting 75Mbps. My wifi speeds are as low as only 2mbps. Your agent then begins to tell me that fibre slows down during peak times.

Your agent really just tried to convince me that losing 15mbps during "peak times" 5pm on a saturday btw, is nothing to bat an eyelid about. A lot of customers, likely to never ever see this post, may be unaware of exactly WHAT fibre is and HOW it is different from copper.

On copper lines the speed drops significantly after getting so many meters away from the exchange. This is due to the way the data travels, the further it goes the weaker the signal gets because the copper becomes heated and this acts as friction, slowing the transfer of data. Copper is an AWFUL way to supply broadband and in the UK we are still using the SAME copper cables that have been there since the 50s and 60s for gods sake. Some people are even unlucky enough to have aluminium cables. Copper is such a poor choice in supplying broadband that the maximum speed you get get is a mere 24 mbps and you'd have to literally live next door to an exchange to get that.

Fibre travels at the speed of light and there is no slow down due to that FACT. I am not asking for a consistent wired connection of 75 mbps but i am also NOT asking for you to **bleep** down my back and tell me its raining, while i pay you for the privilege. This gentlemen actually INSISTED it was perfectly natural to loose AT LEAST 15 mbps during "peak hours"

He then began to tell me that repairs and upgrades were being carried out and would last until April 19th. "The bill will be amended"

We've been with VM when it was NTL. That's a lot of years to be paying the same company PREMIUM prices for a PREMIUM service. I am having issues with my speeds and the staff in your Indian call centre(s) dont seem too bothered to me - But then again, how many thousands of miles are they across the world?

Is this the service i can continue to expect? Because i know provide fibre to - Might JUST be FTTC but their call centres are in the UK - Do you think i should give them a chance?

Virgin Media only run fibre to a certain cabinet in your area, then it turns to a coaxial cable to your street cabinet, then more coaxial to your home. Nevertheless they can call it a 'fibre' service just like BT's copper line service can also be marketed as fibre.

The bandwidth on cable services like Virgin is highly shared between all the customers in your area, so some peak time speed loss is inevitable unless there are very few customers in your area.

So all this time we thought we were paying for FTTP and instead it is standard FTTC with a few coaxial cables in between that and the property?

I may as well switch companies in that case. Losing 40mbps on a speed advertised as 200mbps isnt what i would call acceptable. How VM are allowed to advertise the speeds that they do and then totally not break a sweat when customer's are having issues is ridiculous.

Since november 2016 ive been having intermittent speed issues and every time i call to speak to someone to get it resolved i get through to someone half way around the world who couldn't care less. I am really disappointed with the service im getting considering the price that is being paid. Its like VM selling me fake diamonds and asking what the issue is.

FTTP doesn't guarantee speeds will be 100% all the time. I know of an FTTP customer who drops from 300Mb down to about 100Mb at peak times.

That we all share bandwidth with other customers is why our services don't cost £300 a month for 100Mb.

The technical support guys can't resolve the issue because VM don't consider a degree of slow down at peak times a problem.

The way the connection is delivered is nothing to do with what happens at peak times. All broadband has sharing of bandwidth somewhere on the network.

The technical support people seem to have been quite correct here.

One other point.

'Fibre travels at the speed of light and there is no slow down due to that FACT.'

Firstly, the speed of propagation of the signal is nothing to do with bandwidth, second even if it were this wouldn't change at peak times, and third the propagation speed can be faster through coax than fibre.

Light bounces around inside the core of the fibre so it's reliant on its refractive index. You end up with a velocity factor around 0.6-0.66c.

honstly you look its up to the speed you pay for with any provider i know peek times still have problems on all virgin media network atm. bt openreach network still have problems with it which i know of they cut the speeds when they want. I had bt connection last year i had 57mb with a 76mb connection and i found out i was on the wrong slot and took over 10 mouths to sort out with them and noning to my bills you lucky you get some money off your bills with virgin media untill the problem is sorted if you ask if you leave it you will not get anything

Using VIVID 350 Optical Fibre, Mix TV, Talk Weekends

Just another VM user trying to help out so my answers may be wrong.If you do like my answer please mark it as helpful; it may help others

Re: Slow speeds in peak hours

on ‎13-02-201719:13

OP - I am in exactly the same boat, only I'm on 70Mbps B?B and getting 3/4Mbps at best.

I was originally told that (back in November) that the fix would be in January (25th) The date came and went and the issue wasn't resolved. When I EVENTUALLY got through to some one (I always ring sales as they pick up quicker) I was told that the fix wasn't going to happen until May 2017!

I feel exactly the same as you, cheated and ripped off! And although I have spoken to them and complained they have not acknowledged that this is a complaint (Must do something to their stats.

I did try to call AGAIN The other day, but the line was dropped by Virgin after I'd been on hold for seven minutes.

I am going to start an Activist group on facebook. We need something doing about their utter impotence.